The Road of Loneliness

Have you ever been in a crowded room and still felt all alone. What about in your own church with brothers and sisters in Christ who smile and say a casual hello ,but fail to take interest in or invest in the lives of others who so desire fellowship with other believers. So many times we think of being lonely as physically being alone, total quite and solitude, but this is not the kind of loneliness I am referring too. Just some examples: A workplace where values and convictions differ can bring about feelings of loneliness. A wife who longs to share spiritual intimacy with her mate. A group of women who all work outside the home and you are stay at home mom. Just to name a few, each of these scenarios, can result in feeling alone.
It is always easier to take the road of blending in, just to feel accepted and apart. Living a set apart life for Christ is not always a comfortable and cozy place to be. I have often felt lonely for not being one to partake in gossip involving other women. When you are not a gossiper you are left out of many a female conversation , sadly to say. As I was thinking about this topic , I was reminded of how lonely our Savior must have felt at times in living such a "set apart" lifestyle . Christ was so criticized, judged and rejected by his own, so called peers, the Pharisees. These were men who were considered the most "religious" people of that time. I use the word "religious" loosely since religion does not always involve a relationship with a living Savior. In the Pharisees case, they had the head knowledge followed by rules and regulations without an evident heart and life change. They were truly lost in need of a savior. Christ continued to take the narrow road less traveled because he could see the prize at the end. The bible says we are in a race as believers. Most runners run alone and keep their eyes on the goal, which is to finish the race. For us as wives and mothers there can be many distractions, how we spend our time being the biggest one. For example; shopping, tv, vacation planning , make-up and clothing , all so called "good" things but may not always be the "wise" thing. We can with Lords help, keep our focus on the goal of the upward calling of Christ Jesus. A good question to always ask ourselves is; " Will this activity bring Glory to God and or is it something that will help further His kingdom here on earth?" Try not shopping for a few weeks ,except for necessities, and you will be amazed at the time you now have available to focus on things of eternal value. It can be life changing if you are willing to give up such earthly pleasures. Our time is short and the road can be lonely but we as women , lonely or not , must run to the finish line to the hear the words ; "Well done my good and faithful daughter, you have finished well." Oh, how I pray to hear those words spoken of my life and my prayer is that you do as well.